Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of medical equipment. More specifically, the invention relates to a central pressurized cadaver model for the Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta procedure.
Description of the Related Art
The use of endovascular technology in the treatment of injury has steadily increased over the last several decades. Most recently, resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has emerged as a potentially lifesaving technique for severely injured patients that do not respond to volume as a bridge to hemostasis. Many case series of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta have proved that this technique could be critical for patients in shock due to non-compressible hemorrhage.
Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta involves passing a vascular sheath through a common femoral artery and inflating a balloon to occlude blood flow. The location of the balloon is selected based on the type of injury and a three-zones principle. Generally, a patient's body portion is divided into three zones as shown in FIG. 1. Balloon occlusion is performed in zone 1 for abdominal injuries and zone 3 for pelvic injuries. Zone 2 is considered a no-occlusion zone.
In a traumatic emergency, the execution of the resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta is highly complicated, thus requires extensive training. More often than not, resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta may not be in the standard armamentarium of many hospital privileges. Therefore, it is imperative that Acute Care Surgeons have gone through adequate training and each individual surgeon has demonstrated competence in this new technique before they start performing such a vascular procedure.
Currently, there are 3 main options for endovascular training. Virtual reality simulation (VRS) is a well-established method for skill development and its use in medical training has increased exponentially. Advantages for VRS include automated objective assessment and haptic feedback, no radiation exposure, and the ability to document and store progress development for each user. However, the absence of percutaneous cannulation and/or open exposure of the groin, which are essential considerable components of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta, hindered the application of virtual reality simulation in resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta trainings. Animal testing provides dynamic blood flow and hemorrhage, but it lacks similarity to the access anatomy that is critical for mastering the resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta. In addition, animal testing can be subjected to ethical concerns for reasons of animal welfares.
Cadaver models provide real human anatomy and allow percutaneous and open arterial access through which the resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta procedure is performed. In real-life setting, the success of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta is heavily dependent on correct and safe arterial access. The resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta may be performed exactly as in the resuscitation suite with x-ray capability and required equipment using cadaver models. However, the most challenging aspect of using cadaver model for this training is the lack of pulsatile blood flow, which is essential to simulate traumatic injuries.
Thus, there is a recognized need in the art for a cadaver model that provides pulsatile blood flow used in surgical training. Particularly, the prior art is deficient in this aspect. The present invention fulfills this long standing need and desire in the art.